Helicopter



Dec. H, 1923. I

E. R. MITTQN HELICOPTER a Sheets- Sheet 1 Filed March 27. 1922,

Dec.v 1'1 1923.

E. R. MITTON HELICOPTER Filed Ma rch 27 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 11 i923. LMZM? E. R. MHTTON HELICOPTER Filed March 27, 1922 3 sheets-sheet 5 Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

ERNEST ROY marrow, or roar ELGIN, new BRUNSWICK, CANADA,

HELICOPTER.

Application filed Mareh 27, 1922. Serial N0. 547,090.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ERNEST ROY MITTON,

a subject of the King of Great Britain, and

resident of Port Elgin, in the Province of New Brunswick and Dominion .of- Canada,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Helicopters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in propellers, and more particularly to that class of propeller used for lifting and known as helicopters.

The objects of my invention are to provide a device for lifting aircraft from the ground in a substantially vertical direction.

Further objects are to provide an improved helicopter capable of maintaining aircraft steadily in one osition in the air and that will also enable t e craft to descend and land in an almost vertical direction.

Another object is to provide a device of -this character designed toimpart carrying as well as lifting capacity to aircraft.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists essentially of a plurality of vertically arranged shafts having a plurality. of propellers mounted thereon in series, each propeller being arranged at a greater angle to the horizontal than the propeller immediately above it, and having the pitch of its blades varied to co-operate and interlap in rotation with the blades of the adjoining propellers of said series. The invention further consists in'the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully set forth and explained.

Referring to the drawing, in which like characters of reference indicate correspond-- ing parts in each figure, and in which:

Figure 1 is a slde elevation, partly in section, showing a plurality of propellers mounted in series.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a side elevation of a single series of propellers.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of Figure 3, showing the different angles at which the propellers are mounted.

In the drawings, while I have illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5 the preferred form of propeller comprising a plurality of blade units. mounted one above the other on asingle vertical shaft and suitably spaced apart and each propeller at a greater angle to the horizontal than the one above it, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate individually the same construction of a single series of propellers but show a multiplicity of these series designed to further increase the lifting and carrying capacity of aircraft generally.

The pitch of the blade units individually and collectively is hereinafter more fully referred to.

A represents the engine shaft of an aircraft supported by a suitable bracket 10 and designed to extend longitudinally and having fixedly mounted thereon at suitably determined spaced intervals a series of bevelled gears 11. 12 are a plurality of vertically extending shafts to'the shaft A provided with topand bottom frame 13 supported in turn from the aircraft body and frame respectively or otherwise. These shafts 12 are provided at their lower ends with bevelled gears 15 designed to mesh with the gears 11 on the shaft A.

Mounted on each of these vertically arranged shafts 12 one above the other and atv predetermined spaced intervals are a series of propellers 16 and,- in the present embodiment, comprising six. \Vhile six propellers are here illustrated forming a series of propellers with the shafts 12 as a common axis, the number of such propellers and shafts may be increased or diminished as required and as may in operation be found advantageous and satisfactory. In other words, I do not'confine myself to any fixed number of propellers on an individual shaft or any fixed number of series of propellers.

Furthermore, it is to be noted as an essential feature of my invention that, in the mounting of the propellers in separate series and collectively in series, each one beginning at the top of an individual vertical shaft and travelling downwardly is mounted at a greater angle to the horizontal than the propeller immediately above it, and also that, in multiplying the .series, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, not only is the angle mounting, 'as above explained, of each pro-.

peller. essentiahbutf it is also essential that the pitch of the propellers may be varied aceording to the number of series used so that in their relationship individually to the unit blades of the adjacent propellers in operation, the blade units will operatively interlap and secure the maximum. of efficiency in lifting a-ndcarrying capacity.

As an example of the difierentangles in the mounting of the propellers, reference to Figure 5 will show the top propeller'at an angle of seven (7) degrees, the next one below at an angle of eleven (11) degrees, and the next at an angle of fifteen (15) degrees, and so on until'we have the propellers of a series of six at an angle of thirty degrees. The angle of these blade units varying by arithmetical progression from the first angle of seven (7) degrees to the last angle of thirty (30) degrees.

The features to be clearly established in connection with the construction, as above explained, are, first, the mounting of a series the top and bottom, can be closed to con-' stitute means for equalizing the pressure of the air on the .blade units of the end propellers, or the frame ends may be left open if desired. This frame can also be adapted for use in cylinder form when only one series of propellers is used, or, in the case of a multiplicity of propellers, if desired, it may be. dispensed with entirely.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely difierent'embodiments of my. invenaerate? tion within the scope of the claims, constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

'- What I claim as my invention is:

1. Means for increasing the lifting and carrying capacity of aircraft, which means consist in the combination of a plurality of verically arranged shafts, each shaft having a plurality of propellers mounted thereon in series, and forming a common axis for such propellers, the relative pitch of the propellers of each series increasing downwardly from the top of the shaft, so that the pitch of any one propeller is steeper than that of the propeller immediately above it, the vertical shafts being so arranged that the blades of each series of propellers are disposed in overlapping relation and cooperate and interlap in rotation with the blades of the adjacent series of propellers.

2. In means as claimed in claim 1, and in combination therewith, the provision of a casing means. for distrbuting the air pres sure to the blade units of the outside propellers.

3. In means as claimed in claim 1, the

provision with said vertical shafts of a drivingshaft adapted to operatively engage with said vertical shafts.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST ROY MITTON. Witnesses:

W. T. Com Qunr,

R. LEE SHEPHERD. 

